Language ArtsAffect vs. Effect - learn the differences in meaning, usage, and origins of effect and affect. Find out when to use effect or affect. Also, tips on remembering the difference between affect versus effect.

If this medicine is supposed to < B>me so much that I shouldn't drive or operate heavy machinery, why don't I feel any effect at all? These two words are troublesome not only because they look and sound alike, but also because they each are multiple parts of speech and because affect is pronounced differently as a noun and a verb. Let's see if we can sort them out.

Affect

Affect is both a transitive verb (one that takes an object) and a noun.

 Verb

Here is an example of affect used as a transitive verb:

When I don't get enough sleep, it affects my golf game.

In this sentence, the verb affect means “to change or influence.”  The change might be positive or negative: the word itself does not indicate the direction of change. But affect can also refer specifically to a negative change, with a meaning  of “to attack, cause damage to, infect,” as in:

Alcohol consumption can affect the liver.

In addition, affect can mean “to act with intent to deceive or impress,” as in:

Homer affected a British accent.

Affect as a verb can also mean “to act on the emotions, to create an emotional response,” as in:

The film affected many, who were moved to tears.

In all these examples, affect means “to make some sort of difference.”

 Noun

Used as a noun, affect refers to the state of emotions and is connected to the final verb form that we mentioned.

People who have been through a traumatic experience sometimes seem emotionally blank, rather than having the strong affect that you might expect following a crisis.

Affect came into English through Middle English, from the Latin afficere, which means “to do” or “to act on.”  When affect is a verb, it is pronounced /uh FEHKT/, but when it's a noun, it's pronounced /AFF ehkt/.

Effect

Effect is both a transitive verb (one that takes an object) and a noun.

 Verb

As a verb, effect can mean “to cause or bring about” as in the example:

The influx of industry to the area will effect changes to the local economy.

Effect can also more specifically refer to causing something by overcoming obstacles, as in:

Do you think that protest marches can effect change in this volatile situation?

 Noun

The most common meaning of effect may be to refer to the result of something, as in this example

Taking a multivitamin has a notable effect on my energy level.

Effect is also used to refer to personal belongings, as in this example:

They collected the patient's personal effects.

Another meaning is a particular outcome or sensation, as in:

The elegant furniture, the rich tapestries, and the gorgeous statuary all tended to create an effect of grandeur.

The word effect also forms part of certain physical phenomena, such as the Compton effect, the Doppler effect, and the Bohr effect, and a little less formally in phrases like ripple effect and domino effect. It also is used to refer to special displays of light or sound, or specially constructed scenery in theatre and film, leading to references to:

• sound effects (abbreviated as sound fx)
• special effects (abbreviated as SFX, SPFX, or FX)
• visual effects
• optical effects
• mechanical effects
• miniature effects
• in-camera effects

Effect comes from the Latin efficere, meaning “to accomplish.” It is most often pronounced /ih FEHKT/, so you can see that only a slight difference in the vowel sound differentiates it from the pronunciation of the verb affect. However, it should be noted that some people pronounce effect as /eh FEHKT/, /ee FEHKT/, or /uh FEHKT/, and for those who use the last pronunciation, effect and affect are homophones. (See the article “Homophones” for more information.)

Differentiating Affect and Effect

These two words are never interchangeable. For example, if you were to say:

This policy would affect rising prices.

it would mean that the policy would change prices (possibly lowering them), whereas, if you were to say:

This policy would effect rising prices.

it would mean that the policy would cause rising prices. Because either verb could make sense in this sentence, if you pronounce them the same, you might want to consider a change to differentiate your pronunciation in order to be properly understood in such cases.

Remembering the Difference

However, the words are related in that effect is what is caused by being affected. One way to remember this is to consider the alphabetical order: first, something is affected and the result is an effect: A before E.

Written by Mary Elizabeth